Metabolic syndrome and central obesity in depression: A cross-sectional study.

Introduction: The current epidemiological data and meta-analyses indicate a bidirectional association between depression and metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Aims: To assess the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and obesity in drug naïve patients (in current episode) having Recurrent Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Depression.

Method: This was a single point cross sectional observational study that involved administration of diagnostic and assessment tools and blood investigations.

Prevalence and prescription of antidepressants in depression with somatic comorbidity in Asia: the Research on East Asian Psychotropic Prescription Patterns study.

Background: Depression is often comorbid with chronic somatic diseases. Few previous studies have investigated the prevalence of somatic diseases in depression or the prescription pattern of antidepressants in comorbidly depressed patients in Asia. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of somatic comorbidity (SC) in depression and compared the prescriptions of antidepressants in depressed patients with and without SC.

Use of electroconvulsive therapy for Asian patients with schizophrenia (2001-2009): Trends and correlates.

Aims: Little is known about electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) use in Asian inpatients with schizophrenia. This study examined trends of ECT use for schizophrenia patients in Asia between 2001 and 2009 and its independent demographic and clinical correlates.

Methods: Data on 6761 hospitalized schizophrenia patients (2001 = 2399, 2004 = 2136, and 2009 = 2226) in nine Asian countries and territories were collected by either chart review or interviews during a 1-month period.

QTc prolongation in schizophrenia patients in Asia: clinical correlates and trends between 2004 and 2008/2009.

Objective: Little is known about the pattern of QT interval (QTc) prolongation in Asian patients with schizophrenia. This study examined trends of QTc prolongation in schizophrenia inpatients in six Asian countries and territories between 2004 and 2008/2009 and its independent demographic and clinical correlates.

Method: Data on 3482 hospitalized schizophrenia patients (2004 = 1826 and 2008/2009 = 1656) in six Asian countries and territories were collected by either chart review or interviews during a 1-month period.

Electroconvulsive therapy pre-treatment with low dose propofol: comparison with unmodified treatment.

Background: Whilst electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is routinely administered under anesthesia in developed nations, in many developing countries, ECT is still administered unmodified. This practice has attracted considerable scrutiny with calls to ban unmodified ECT. However, there are no affordable alternatives for many poor, acutely ill psychiatric patients.

The reliability and validity of the MATRICS functional assessment battery.

Objectives: The Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) initiative was designed to encourage the development of cognitive enhancing agents for schizophrenia. For a medication to receive this indication, regulatory agencies require evidence of improvement in both cognition and functional outcome. Functional capacity measures typically used in clinical trials as intermediate measures of functional outcome must be adapted to fit different cultural contexts for use internationally.

Child psychopharmacology: Is it more similar than different from adult psychopharmacology?

Despite having a large chunk of human population, Asian countries face shortage of mental health professionals. There is further shortage of doctors dealing with special groups of population like the children, the elderly, and the medically ill. However, in this era of super-specializations, are the basic principles of general psychopharmacology being forgotten? Dealing with child population is different and often more difficult than adult population but are management guidelines for the two populations vastly divergent? A close look at this paints a different picture.

Common use of high doses of antipsychotic medications in older Asian patients with schizophrenia (2001-2009).

Objective: This study aimed to examine the use of high doses of antipsychotic medications (≥600 mg/day chlorpromazine equivalent) in older Asian patients with schizophrenia and its demographic and clinical correlates.

Method: Information on hospitalized patients with schizophrenia aged ≥50 years was extracted from the database of the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Patterns study (2001-2009). Data on 2203 patients in six Asian countries and territories, including China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, were analyzed.

Association of psychiatric co-morbidity and efficacy of treatment in chronic daily headache in Indian population.

Objective: To study the prevalence of psychiatric co-morbidity in patients of chronic daily headache (CDH) and compare the efficacy of treatment between various type of headache associated with psychiatric co-morbidity.

Materials And Methods: Prospective case control cohort study, 92 consecutive patients of CDH meeting eligibility criteria. The diagnosis of various subtypes of CDH was made according to the IHS criteria.

Adjunctive antidepressant prescriptions for hospitalized patients with schizophrenia in Asia (2001-2009).

Introduction: Little is known about the prescription patterns of adjunctive antidepressants in Asian schizophrenia patients. This study aimed to examine trends in the use of antidepressants and their demographic and clinical correlates in the treatment of schizophrenia in Asia between 2001 and 2009.

Methods: A total of 6,761 hospitalized schizophrenia patients in nine Asian countries and territories were examined: 2,399 in 2001, 2,136 in 2004 and 2,226 in 2009.

Preventive psychiatry: Concept appraisal and future directions.

Preventive psychiatry is a branch of psychiatry that aims at health promotion, protection from specific mental illnesses, early diagnosis, effective treatment, disability limitation and rehabilitation. Prevention of neuropsychiatric illnesses as compared to other illnesses is particularly important as they run a chronic course and cause substantial disability. Preventive measures have been found to be effective in reducing incidence and disability in a wide range of mental illnesses such as depression, psychosis, anxiety and conduct disorders.

Use of clozapine in older Asian patients with schizophrenia between 2001 and 2009.

Background: To date there has been no large-scale international study that examined the use of clozapine in older patients with schizophrenia. This study examined the use of clozapine and its demographic and clinical correlates in older patients with schizophrenia in East Asia during the period between 2001 and 2009.

Method: Information on 1,157 hospitalized patients with schizophrenia aged 50 or older in five East Asian countries and territories (China, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan) was extracted from the database of the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Patterns (REAP) project.

Common use of antipsychotic polypharmacy in older Asian patients with schizophrenia (2001-2009).

Objective: The aim of this study was to survey the use of antipsychotic polypharmacy (APP) in older Asian patients with schizophrenia and examine its demographic and clinical correlates.

Methods: Information on hospitalized patients with schizophrenia aged 55 or older was extracted from the database of the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Patterns study. Data on 1439 patients in 6 Asian countries and territories including China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan were analyzed.

Use of first- and second-generation antipsychotic medications in older patients with schizophrenia in Asia (2001-2009).

Objective: This study examined the prescribing patterns of several first- (FGAs) and second-generation antipsychotic (SGAs) medications administered to older Asian patients with schizophrenia during the period between 2001 and 2009.

Method: Information on hospitalized patients with schizophrenia aged 65 or older was extracted from the database of the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Patterns (REAP) study (2001-2009). There were no older patients in Thailand, therefore data on 467 patients in eight Asian countries and territories including China, Hong Kong SAR, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan were analysed.

Common use of anticholinergic medications in older patients with schizophrenia: findings of the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Pattern (REAP) study, 2001-2009.

Objective: This study surveyed the use of anticholinergic medications (ACMs) in older Asian patients with schizophrenia and examined its demographic and clinical correlates.

Method: A total of 1452 hospitalized patients with schizophrenia aged 55 years or older in nine Asian countries and territories were surveyed between 2001 and 2009. The cross-sectional data of patients' socio-demographic and clinical characteristics and the prescriptions of antipsychotic drugs and ACM were recorded using a standardized protocol and data collection procedure.

Antipsychotic treatment in older schizophrenia patients with extrapyramidal side effects in Asia (2001 - 2009).

Objective: This study surveyed the prescribing patterns of antipsychotic medications in Asian older schizophrenia patients with extrapyramidal side effects (EPS) during the period between 2001 and 2009.

Method: Information on 848 hospitalized patients with schizophrenia aged 60 or older was extracted from the database of the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Patterns (REAP) study (2001 - 2009). Data from those patients with reported EPS from 8 Asian countries and territories including China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, India and Malaysia were analyzed.

Decreasing adverse outcomes of unmodified electroconvulsive therapy: suggestions and possibilities.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is far and away the most effective treatment for depression and quite effective for a range of other psychiatric conditions that are unresponsive to medication. Electroconvulsive therapy in the developed world has been administered with anesthesia, muscle relaxants, and ventilation since the mid-1950s following 20 years of unmodified treatment. However, in much of the developing world, ECT continues to be administered unmodified because of lack of resources.

Prescribing patterns of low doses of antipsychotic medications in older Asian patients with schizophrenia, 2001-2009.

Background: This study examined the use of low doses of antipsychotic medications (300 mg/day CPZeq or less) in older Asian patients with schizophrenia and its demographic and clinical correlates.

Methods: Information on hospitalized patients with schizophrenia, aged 55 years or older, was extracted from the database of the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Patterns (REAP) study (2001-2009). Data on 1,452 patients in eight Asian countries and territories including China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, India, and Malaysia were analyzed.

Indian experiences with International Classification of Mental and Behaviour Disorders-10: Pathway for ICD-11.

Background: International Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders (ICD)-10 has been serving its purpose in the spheres of diagnosing psychiatric patients, research, and education since long. With ICD-11 is on the horizon, this is the right time to assess issues in the application of these guidelines in routine clinical practice.

Aim: In this study, an effort was made to find out day-to-day difficulties in application of ICD-10.

Clozapine use in schizophrenia: findings of the Research on Asia Psychotropic Prescription (REAP) studies from 2001 to 2009.

Objective: Optimizing treatment and outcomes for people with schizophrenia requires understanding of how evidence-based treatments are utilized. Clozapine is the most effective antipsychotic drug for treatment-refractory schizophrenia, but few studies have investigated trends and patterns of its use over time internationally. This study examined the prescription patterns of clozapine and its demographic and clinical correlates in Asia from 2001 to 2009.

The low frequency of reported sexual dysfunction in Asian patients with schizophrenia (2001-2009): low occurrence or ignored side effect?

Objective: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the frequency of reported sexual dysfunction (SD) in schizophrenia and its associations with sociodemographic and clinical variables in selected Asian countries.

Methods: A total of 5877 schizophrenia patients in nine Asian countries and territories were examined between 2001 and 2009. The patients' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, prescription of psychotropic drugs, and drug-induced side effects were recorded using a standardized protocol and data collection.

Sex differences in use of psychotropic drugs and drug-induced side effects in schizophrenia patients: findings of the Research on Asia Psychotropic Prescription (REAP) studies.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the sex differences in prescribing patterns of psychotropic drugs and drug-induced side effects in schizophrenia patients in Asia using the data of the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Pattern (REAP) surveys.

Method: The prescription patterns of 6,441 schizophrenia inpatients in six Asian countries and regions were investigated during the 2001-2009 period. The patients' socio-demographic and clinical characteristics and their prescriptions for psychotropic drugs were recorded using a standardized protocol and data collection procedure.